Android Gizmondo VS WinCE6.0 Gizmondo

In the latest of the Gizmondo saga, The Nordic Link blog was invited to meet Rich Jenkins CEO of Media Power who gave him an insight and first look at the relaunched Gizmondo.

The Nordic Link Blog

In brief here's what new info can be gathered from the meeting;

• Hardware complete and first batch shipping.

• New unit has new nVidia GPU & Longer lasting battery.

• 2 units to choose from, Gizmondo with Android OS or Windows CE 6.0 OS.

• New website launched Mid-October.

• First orders taken online through website November-December.

Update: New battery has been tested and so far 3.5 hours of gaming has been recorded using the new battery, they reckon possibly it can last a bit longer and are currently doing more tests to improve this further.

Sunday 14th September 2008 - 18:40pm BST

FIFA Football 2005 Review & More In Latest Update.

• Full Review of FIFA Football 2005

• Page of Original Gizmondo Menu Images added.

• As part of our 'Gizmondo Visual History' section we turn to the Giz's Sat Nav - Turn you're Giz into a fully fledged Sav Nav system with Gizmondo Navigator 2006! Article also includes rare box art of EU and US versions. Both of these pages can be accessed through the Hardware link on the left, more pages in this section will be added weekly.

Game Previews.

Just more catching up with screenshots and information thats been stored on my harddrive the last 3 years without actually sharing it with you guys, so here are some previews that I've finally gotten around to putting up here.

• Alien Hominid preview page added.

• Supernaturals preview page updated with new screenshots.

• Furious Phil preview page added.

• Johnny Whatever preview page added.

• Agaju preview page updated with new screenshots.

Saturday 6th September 2008 - 14:00pm BST

Latest On Gizmondo Re-launch

Just a recap on the what we know so far in 2008 for the re-launch of the Gizmondo.

• Will be updated Gizmondo due to be launched in Q4 2008

• Will be launched with a 'complete line up of original Gizmondo games and capability to play ANY Windows mobile game'

• Hardware will keep same design, case, buttons, camera, screen,new improved battery will also be released/bundled with console, also talk of giving old Giz owners option of trading in old battery for new Improved one for free! unknown details of new GPU, Nvidia no longer make the Goforce4500 so a new deal is in talks for an upgraded GPU possibly the Tegra600?

• On the Media Power Group website in the Gizmondo section you will see a flash animation showing the Gizmondo's features, but if you notice during the first part a aug reality title called 'Haunted Hotel' is being shown, nothing more than a quick demo but could this be the first NEW game for the updated Gizmondo?

• Haunted Hotel - Augmented Reality Title?

• Jump - New version that was shown on Goforce5500/Tegra600 hardware?

• Carl recently bought the all IP that was originally owned by Gizmondo Europe first time around, though this contradicts what GizPrez he of Gizmondo Texas fame has previously said that they own their own IP, so it's unclear what IP has been bought back, take out the 3rd party release's and that only leaves POD, Trailblazer from the released games and a few more that were in production, though it's also unclear if the 'IP' include licensed games and 3rd party games that were previously released, in which case a lot more games can be added to the list of possible re-releases.

• New Info sent to Gizmondoforums today "Good news is that we are still targeting a 4th quarter launch. We are optimistic by nature but feel we are in the target range for (at least a limited launch) in the fourth quarter of 2008" Good news if this is the case, though slightly sceptical about the meaning of a 'limited' launch in that if it is too succeed in any way it has to get as much market penetration as possible in the shortest amount of time...though if they have any sense they won't go the  'big bucks' approach and take things slower and build from the ground up with good games comes good sales, the name Gizmondo won't sell any units by itself we know that from before!
  
  "In other news, we are excited about the potential of Android and have been working on an Android version of the Giz...Android would be a TERRIFIC addition to the Gizmondo and enable a TON of open source development." Android is a new operating system from Google that will allow all sorts of open source programs and games to be written for the Giz, though this is also slightly confusing as previously stated that the new Giz will be able to play "ANY Windows mobile game", but if they are changing from Windows CE4.2 to Android surely this will all change?
  
  "Finally, the new website for Gizmondo is ALMOST complete..we will offer you (Gizmondoforums) a sneak peek in the next 2 weeks" This is great news and will surely give us more Information on the new Gizmondo and hopefully some game titles and more OS info..roll on 2 weeks!

• More info can be found on these two websites;

• Gizmondo Live Website

• Media Power Group Gizmondo Section

Game Review

Yeah I know it's been nearly 3 years to the day since its release! but it's still good to have opinions on the Gizmondo game's that did get released, so here it is, my latest review;

SSX 3 Review

Latest Additions To Site

Here's what's been added to the site in the last 2 weeks.

• Homebrew page updated with news of update to Megadrive emulator Picodrive.

• GizMenu gets its own page of Icons/Skins also via the homebrew page.

• All 553 Gizmondo Wallpapers Now Available in 3 Easy Download Files.

• Download links have been fixed for all emulators/homebrew software.

• Added a 'Collectors List' that I made a good 3 years ago that I forgot to post up on the site! Basically it was a print off and tick which items you have sheet, if you were collecting everything Gizmondo, anyway someone might want it, so here it is! -----> Collectors List

Homebrew Catch-up!

It's been a couple of years since I last updated the site properly, and I've just gotten back into the Gizmondo as it still holds a special place in my gaming heart, so I thought it only right to continue where I left off and list the main emulators and games that have been released in the last 2 years. Here's what I've added so far.

Click here for the full post in the homebrew section of the site

Sunday 10th August 2008 - 20:00pm BST

Site Update's

Ok I've finally got around to adding some stuff to the site hurrah!

• Added screenshots of Battlestations : Midway

• Added great artwork of Supernaturals

• Reviewed - Classic Compendium 2

• A-Z page updated to bring it more up to date, plus touched up a few articles here and there.

Gizmondo Coming Back?!

Strange as it may sound, this may very well turn out to be true, if a recent Interview with Carl Freer (ex Giz director) with a Finnish website turns out true.

The link to the Interview is here

A translated version into English;

Carl Freer reboots Gizmondo
” I intend to restore Gizmondo”, Carl says Johan Freer in an exclusive interview for Realtid.se.

New york he believes that it can to give investerare as lost on Gizmondokraschen an opportunity to get back a part of your money.

- there are still lives in this product. The market is dominated of two products and it be one vacum to fulfil. Gizmondo was the the first correct playing bracket for several different kinds of performance and we cannot any other products with corresponding properties, Carl says Freer to Realtid.se: s korrespondent. About everything goes good so is we igång in May next year. I intend to do this version cheap and to work with open source code.

- and to the Christmas 2008 plans I to launch one more sophisticated Gizmondo with broader monitor. We speak also with one mobiltelebolag about offering Gizmondo free of charge stem they that buys a subscription for computer traffic, he says.

Carl Freer says that he already has agreed with a Chinese company in Shenzhen that will draw igång one produktionslinje and to produce Gizmondo on credit against that they sheep exclusive - the sale of Gizmondo in China.

One must have deep pockets in order to equip a factory, components get and to start the production and it had never tiger Telematics, it Floridabaserade the company that might Gizmondo.

- the credit means that I do not need to purchase components and that I do not need to pay before that day I retrieve the product from the producer's stocks, he says.

Gizmondos dilemma was and is to hit a bridge between that time then the product to be produced and that time then the product is lined up on acting clean shelves. The producer wants to normally to have at least a part of the payment in advance in order to set igång, but handlarna and the department stores do not pay before they got the product, if the not cravings that few credit from the vendor. It is a long bridge and it can become hugely precious, special for a nykomling.

Carl Freer tells in a telephone call the week after our meeting in New york that he got green light from the the British design company Plextek in Cambridge and nVidia as produced grafikkortet in Gizmondo (GoForce 3D 4500 wireless the mediums processor).

- I were nervous when it applied to restore the relationship to Plextek, but we has now sealed hugely near bands with them. The shown itself also that a part of the components that we believed that we would be forced to convert still holds. It applied among other thing grafikacceleratorn SE-10 as nVidia specialutvecklade to us. They say now that they can to draw to begin to produce if the quantities become sufficientlely big, he says and adds that only where saves they in five months' development works.

The reason to that Gizmondo - aroused one so big ståhej when it first was launched where that it actually was one new and excited product.

It became discussed and rewritten, especially in playing circuits, but it was not hit oväntat of criticism:

The price was for high and there were too few playing programmes, a criticism that hits each nykomling that does not be called Sony and Nintendo. Gizmondo would cost 400 dollars for it the ad proposing version and 230 dollars if one agreed to on taking part of ads as been delivered with Car Freers delicate watch gang SmartAdds-teknik.

The deficiency on titles was a difficult problem, but it was a man divided with other products as first been explained death born, for example Microsoft's Xbox. But Microsoft had councils to ride out skeptikernas obstruction and with Halo might they distorted in the sails.

Tiger/Gizmondo did not have on the one hand councils to wait and Carl Freers own investments in new utvecklingsverktyg and titles via your company Nordic Light did not be enough.

• Thanks to Zeediot who has summarised into laymen's terms for us below;

Here's a another summary of the article in REALTID:

Carl claims there is still a niche market for a console that supports multiple types of entertainment. He wants to build a cheaper Gizmondo console based on Open Source software. Expected price of the console? $99 USD.

If everything goes well, they should be up and running in May 2008 and by Christmas 2008, he wants to release a more advanced console with wider screen.

The console will be manufactured on credit (oh, really...) by a chinese company in Shenzhen on the condition that they get the exclusive rights to sell it on the Chinese market.

This credit line means that Carl/TGTL does not have to purchase components in advance and not pay anything until the product leaves the manufacturer's inventory/plant.

Carl also claims that he has received a green light from british designer PlexTek in Cambridge and nVidia - supposedly the SE-10 graphic accelerator nVidia custom developed for the Gizmondo is still good enough for the new console, which will save 5 months of development time.

Carl claims they have 35 titles (of which 6 are entirely new) and more in development. More titles will be added through co-development with independent Open Source programmers. The idea is to develop and SDK that enables anybody to develop their own games and store it on an SD card.

Gizmondo 2.0 will be owned by TGTL. Carl plans to elect a new board of directors, new accountants and a management team. Mike Carrender is still CEO in TGTL, but the company is not currently active. The decision to revive TGTL will not cost current shareholders anything and they really have nothing to lose at this point, but Carl feels he needs their support to get it off the ground again.

Carl claims he has reached an agreement with the british liquidators on his plans to reboot operations in TGTL.

Carl feels he has a responsibility to the old shareholders who lost money on TGTL and he regrets he resigned and didn't act stronger to try to save the company. Carl claims he will try to make up for that this time around.

When asked if he will lead the company himself, Carl says his instincts says not to do it. He wants to start it up again but let a new team run the company. He wants to continue to develop his own company, Blowfish Works (see, i told you so, didn't I?), but if in the future he is asked to take the reigns of TGTL, he wouldn't mind taking on that responsibility again.

• Great news if this turns out to be true, again knowing anything to do with Gizmondo it's always a wait and see, but some news and a glimmer of light on the horizon of Gizmondo gaming shines again once more!